The Light of the World
by Nyx Wings
Summary: So he did have a purpose, just like Roy said. AN: This is a sequel to "And Behold, He has risen!" you should read that one first.


AN: I got the title gotten by randomly opening my study Bible and picking a cool sounding quote. Part of Matthew 5:14 in this case. Same disclaimer applies, if you're sensitive to religious issues, please don't read. I also put in a couple of rather oblique literary references, though I doubt anyone will get 'em but me. XP Supernatural and it's characters belong to Kripke et al.

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Castiel's angelic handprint had been freaky enough, but it was even odder when the burn healed within a week. All that was left was a pale shape of shiny pink new skin.

Dean chose to focus on that, rather than a frickin' angel or whatever it was that brought him back from Hell.

Ha. Dean Joshua Winchester, he was right up there with Lazurus now.

But it soon turned out that he had better things to do. The demons were trailing them, popping up just about wherever they went, even on other hunts.

And he wasn't sure if he should tell Sam, but…

"I can feel demons, Sam. They're never far behind. It seems like they're waiting for something."

He did. He'd come back from Hell, why keep something like that secret? It was something that could come in handy, to be sure.

It certainly did when a whole pack of them attacked when Sam and Dean were in-between hunts.

At least they had the demon-killing knife, but they had to try to get into a defensive position.

Then the building shook. Everyone fell to the floor. Dean's arm came up defensively on the way down…

_flash_

It was like a flash of the brightest light you've ever seen, only instead of seeing it, you felt it on the inside, almost like being hit by lightning.

Then the possessed people started screaming, shrieks quickly choking off as the demon smoke poured out of them, sinking to the floor and briefly flaring to embers and fading away.

Once the spectacle was over, Dean checked the unconscious former hosts. They were still alive. They called 911 and left them for the paramedics to find.

Back at the motel room, Sam decided to speak.

"Dean. I'm..I'm so sorry. I lied. When you…" he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"There's still...something left. I can send demons back to Hell now, just by concentrating," he finally confessed.

"And I think you can do it too, somehow, because I know that wasn't me back there. I felt it…it was _you_, Dean!"

What could Dean say to that? Who knew what happened when you were brought back from fucking **Hell**.

And that was just the start. It only got worse after that.

For as crazy as that whole thing was, it had nothing on the day Dean turned water into beer. He'd been talking to Sam and went to get some tap water to assuage his thirst.

Of course, water quality varies from state to state, and town to town even. This happened to be one of the crappier ones.

_Damn, I could do with some beer right now,_ Dean thought after the faintly metallic water washed over his tongue.

He went to take another sip and was shocked to find the best beer he'd ever tasted. Cold, crisp and smooth.

A shame it was too, since he dropped the glass, fingers suddenly nerveless.

Sam heard the crash of glass and rushed in.

"Dean, what happened?!"

Dean just stared at the pale amber liquid now puddle on the floor, giving off an enticing smell of hops.

"Where did you…?"

"Before you ask, no, I didn't go anywhere, you should know that, I've been with you all day. I just wanted some water, and then, _that_... "

"Dean. The water turned into _beer_?"

"It was really good beer too."

"Dean! We haven't run into anything that would cause a curse, and they're never nice like this either! _It was you!_"

Dean turned away and went back into the room.

"I KNOW! What do you want me to do about it huh? Open a bar? I have no fucking idea what's happening to me. Guess you should expect some changes after coming back from fucking HELL, but this…" Dean crumpled, sitting heavily on the bed. "I don't even know."

"Dean…" Sam said, sitting down on the bed next to his brother.

Dean smiled bitterly. "Guess there's one way to find out." He stood and grabbed his jacket. Sam followed him out to the Impala.

"Where are you going?" he questioned.

"Quarry at the edge of town," Dean replied, tone clipped.

They remained silent the rest of the trip.

The quarry was mostly mined out, and a nice swimming hole had formed, maybe from some underground creek or whatever.

Gravel crunched under his feet as he cross the ground to the water. As he approached, he closed his eyes and kept walking. The dry sound of small stones under his boots gave way to small splashes, like when you walked through puddles.

Dean opened his eyes. He was standing in the middle of the pool, ripples spreading out from his feet, clear water a good five feet deep under his feet.

His gaze lifted to Sam, who now bore a great resemblance to a stranded fish.

Dean ran. He ran to Sam, to the Impala, the only things that made sense anymore.

He held tight to the steel desperately.

"CASTIEL!" he shouted to the sky. "What the _fuck_ is going on!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?"

Wind blew and invisible electricity filled the air, power tangible.

The angel appeared to Dean and Sam, not needing an intermediary this time, showing all his light and fury.

Dean just stared into the center of the storm and demanded answers.

"Joshua," Castiel's voice echoed. "Dean," he corrected. "This is wonderful! You have found your powers, now you will truly be ready for what is ahead."

He turned his attention to Sam. "I should have known," he said more quietly, as if noting something to himself. "Jude. Most beloved brother, and the one asked to do what no other could. This is better than we could have hoped for."

"NO!" Dean denied to the open blue sky. "I…I can't be _Him_, I'm not anyone's savior!" he argued.

"But you are," Castiel said calmly. "You have saved so many, including your brother." He indicated Sam with a wingtip.

"And now, with the two of you, you can do what you've been _meant_ to do," Castiel said, something in his voice that whispered of awe. "And we will help when we can."

"I…_I don't know if I can_," whispered Dean, unsure of himself.

"You can, I have faith in you, and so does Sam," Castiel told him. "_Please_."

Dean turned away from angelic light. He didn't know how long he could stand it.

Castiel stayed for a while and left when Sam went to his brother. They would support each other, as they always did.

When the Winchesters left the town, fifteen children that had been facing slow painful deaths, or crippling paralysis or disease, all of them were healthy and overjoyed. None of them were quite sure how, but they all remembered sad, but kind green eyes looking at them from the darkness.

And Castiel saw this, and smiled.


End file.
